GREEN BANNER PUBLICATIONS

GB was started in 1933 as Banner Publications when Victor Green, the founder, attended an auction in Pekin of the then Pekin Banner, a subscription newspaper.Victor's father-in-law loaned him his car and gave him $10 for gas. Victor then drove 2 miles into Scottsburg and parked the car, then hitch hiked to Pekin for the auction. He used the $10 as the down payment for the paper and he and his wife Mabel were in the newspaper business. The Pekin Banner was later combined with the Palmyra Gazette to create The Banner-Gazette. In 1936, merchants in the Scottsburg area asked Victor to start a newspaper in the Scott County area.Victor started The Giveaway. The Giveaway, from it's beginning, has been a free newspaper.

After World War II, The Banner-Gazette was changed from a subscription paper to a free newspaper. In 1981, due to competitive pressure, The Washington County Edition of The Banner-Gazette was started. A year later, we decided to call the paper The Washington County Edition in order to further the Washington County slant of the paper. In 1984, we purchased The Leader in Charlestown from the estate of Dr. Goodman.

Then in September of 1987 The Scottsburg Journal and the Austin Chronicle were purchased from David Bartle. These two papers are the only subscription papers of the six papers. Today these six papers cover every home from the edge of Clarksville to Seymour, and from the edge of Hanover to the far side of Campbellsburg.

R-J DELIVERY SYSTEMS

R-J was started in the fall of 1977 as an alternative to the then high postage that GB was paying. It started in Crothersville when Joe Green delivered 720 papers by hand himself. From that beginning, R-J has continually picked up an ever-increasing percentage of GB delivery area. In the summer of 1984 R-J went to Indianapolis to deliver 3,500 fliers and do their first delivery outside of the GB delivery area. It was the first time that a job was done for a customer that didn't go into one of the newspapers. In the fall of 1985 R-J went to Bloomington, Indiana, to deliver a telephone book. Since that time they have delivered soft drink samples in Atlanta and phone books in over 30 areas in the Midwest. Today R-J is continuing to develop customers with special delivery needs and meeting those needs.

OWNERS
MABEL & VICTOR GREEN

Mabel and Victor Green were graduates of the Indiana University school of Journalism. Mabel taught school in Indiana until she and Victor started Banner Publications. Through the years both did various other things to keep the papers going such as open a gift shop in Pekin, write for news services, and run a park located in Campbellsburg called Cave River Park. They were always newspaper people first.

ROBERT (BOB) VICTOR GREEN

Bob graduated from Pekin High School and attended Purdue for a year before returning to help with the papers. He worked for the papers when in high school and during the summers. Bob was with the papers since he returned from college in 1947. Due to Mabel and Victor not being interested in job printing, Bob started Green Printing in the early 60's. He operated it at his home until Victor's failing health required him to be in the shop an increasing amount of time. With this demand upon his time, Bob brought his job printing operation into the GB shop and they were later combined. Bob was very active in national free newspaper groups being one of the founders and past president of the Independent Free Papers of America (IFPA). He is also a Kentucky Colonel. Bob passed away August 25th, 1995.

JOSEPH (JOE) VICTOR GREEN

Joe graduated from Borden High School and is a graduate of the Indiana University School of Business with a degree in Management and Marketing. He started work with GB in the spring of 1977 after graduation. Joe is the original manager of R-J and is now the publisher of the GB papers. He has also served on the board of directors, as secretary and was President of the Association of Private Postal Systems. Joe is currently on the board of directors of IFPA.

For questions and comments about GBP's business and services please contact paperman@blueriver.net

This page was last updated on Wednesday, February 24, 1999.
©Copyright 1998, Green Banner Publications